Fargo, North Dakota city commissioners voted 3-2 on Monday night to remove a 10 Commandments monument from public property next to city hall and instead place it on private land. The Fargo Forum reports today that the move follows Council's unanimous rejection of an offer from the Red River Freethinkers to put up a monument near the Ten Commandments that would contain a quote from a 1796 US-Tripoli treaty: "The government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion." Voting to move the 10 Commandments monument, Councilman Mike Williams said: "Religion is too important for politics, and that's why we need to make a change here."
UPDATE: Today's Fargo Forum reports that religious activists are circulating an initiative petition that would add a section to Fargo's City Code requiring the 10 Commandments monument to remain on public property where it has stood for many years. Meanwhile the city is accepting proposals from private parties who would like to have the monument placed on their land. It will decide on a location on July16.
